Glamorous face of million-dollar Australian shoe empire that went belly-up speaks for the first time

The glamorous face of million dollar empire that ultimately collapsed has spoken out about the downfall of her ‘baby’. 

Shoes of Prey, which was co-founded by Jodie Fox in 2009, became a global success appealing to fashion icons such as Rihanna, Kate Middleton and Elle Macpherson.

But in August 2018 the company stopped trading, as the company was unable to crack the mass market, leading to its eventual liquidation in March this year.

Ms Fox has described the moment she knew her business was floundering as one of the ‘most horrific days’ of her life.

The company is famed for it’s unique take on the shoe market, one that allowed customers to design their own shoes

‘It was pretty full on and I was alone by that stage — my co-founders weren’t in the day-to-day business and our COO had also left the business, so I was carrying this weight on my shoulders,’ she told News.com.au.

Customers were left devastated after the collapse of Birds of Prey, and more than 100 people were reportedly left unemployed.

The brand rose to success through its unique ability to let customers design their dream shoe from scratch. 

Using an online 3D designer, customers could choose the fabric used, the colour of the sole, and have these delivered within weeks. 

Ms Fox said she had high hopes for the company and felt ‘shame’ when she was unable to sustain the business.

‘I wanted to fall into the 10 per cent of investment companies that make it, not the 90 per cent of venture backed companies that close. And when we did not fall into that 10 per cent, I felt shame and disappointment,’ she said.

Jodie Fox, 35, raised $30 million in investment for the online customised shoe company Shoes of Prey

She said the time after the company stopped trading was ‘frightening’, admitting she started to develop anxiety, depression and impostor syndrome.

‘It was so wild to come to a moment of clarity and realise that Shoes of Prey really was the love of my life and I was putting all of my energy into that … I didn’t realise there were so many personal things I was not making time for, I didn’t know I was making that mistake,’ she said.

Ms Fox shared an Instagram post after the brand announced they were halting production, saying ‘just like every company behind the scenes we faced struggles’.

‘While the all the data was positive, we were not really able to crack mass-market adoption.

‘We remain passionate and positive about our vision.’ 

A statement released by Jodie Fox on Instagram explained in more depth why the business was halting production 

Speaking previously to Daily Mail Australia, Ms Fox explained why she decided to launch the company in the first place.  

‘I’d always liked shoes, but I never loved them because I couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for,’ she said.

‘Either it wasn’t quite the right colour, there was an embellishment I didn’t like, or not quite the right heel height. I didn’t love shoes until I could design them myself.’ 

More than six million shoes were designed on Shoes of Prey’s website, shipping to 100 countries and being worn everywhere from the shops to the catwalk.

She was aiming to solve a problem many women have while shoe shopping – finding the right fit in the right colour in the shape she wanted